The head chef at swish Hamburg restaurant The Lido, Martha Klein’s (Martina Gedeck) perfectionism and obsession with good cooking leaves little free time for romantic entanglements. However, when her sister tragically dies in a car accident, Martha’s boss Frida (Sibylle Canonica) insists she take time out to care for her eight-year-old niece Lina (Maxime Foerste) whilst attempts are made to locate Lina’s estranged father.

Returning to work after struggling to bond with this stubborn, headstrong child, Martha finds that dashing Italian sous-chef Mario (Sergio Castellitto) has been hired to help in the kitchen. Initially threatened by this unorthodox intruder, Martha slowly comes to confide in him, thus beginning a relationship that will fundamentally alter her attitude to life.

An enthralling and utterly charming bittersweet comedy about acceptance and the pressures of modern day life, writer-director Sandra Nettelbeck’s Mostly Martha evokes recent mouth-watering favorites such as Big Night, What’s Cooking? and Tortilla Soup in its lavish use of food as a metaphor.